Truths Unfold

The Next Day

Stef:

I must have cried myself to sleep last night because I remembered crying and now I am waking up.

It's 5 am. I get up and go downstairs.

"Oh, hello Stefanie."

I sigh. I can't change her ways

"You're up awfully early."

"You gotta be when you have a runaway drug addict hookup for a mother."

"Well,"

She clears her throat I go to make breakfast.

"What are you doing?"

I look at her annoyingly.

"Cooking breakfast mother."

I get the pancake mix.

"They don't feed you breakfast at those schools?"

"Uh. No ma they don't."

She gets up and comes to me.

"Well, you shouldn't be cooking. It is your birthday after all."

"Well, I have done it my last four birthdays. What is one more gonna hurt."

She stops.

"Look I am really trying here Stefanie."

"Are you really? Because last time I checked, I have told you my name is Stef a good 3 or 4 times, you tried to slap me last night, you have runaway 7 times this month, & I still don't see you trying to help me pay the bills. I mean don't you get it ma. A 17 year old girl shouldn't have to raise 8 kids and a grown ass woman for crying out loud. And those kids are great, but you don't give them a chance. They work hard for your approval! But you're never around to see it. And I see it, now. Now, they are working for my approval. You just happen to be a grown woman living in my house. A 17 year old girl should not have too pay bills. But, I guess since I am 18 now none of this matters to you?"

I look at my mother who is speechless. I put the pancakes on a plate.

"I cooked some sausage patties last night. Heat them up, I will get the kids ready. I will get ready and then we are leaving."

I stomp upstairs.

"Daniel, Fiona, Drake, Hannah, Hayley, Sadie, Parker, Jorge. Let's go breakfast is ready put on some clothes because Tuesday is gonna be fun!!"

I head to my room. I throw on my leather jacket and put my hair into to braids. I throw on my black jeans with chains and my black tube top.

I head downstairs.

All my siblings run up to me and hug me.

"Happy Birthday Stef!"

"Aww thanks everyone."

Daniel hands me a box.

"What is this?"

"It's a gift."

I open it up.

"Oh wow."

It's a black leather jacket with silver studs spelling out Dominance Squad and our logo embroiled on it.

"Roxy helped us pick it out. You can wear your new one to school and stuff. And you can wear your old when you want to blend into a crowd but still wear your leather."

I hug all my siblings.

"Thank you I love it."

I take off my black leather jacket. And put on my new one.